Miranda
=Miranda= Landscape: Full Ecology (Temperate Forests, Hills, Plains, Mountains, Swamps). Miranda is one of the most well-known countries on Fontraile, a land steeped in ancient lore and intrigue. Stretching across the center of eastern Fontraile, the region encompasses a staggering array of different landscapes. In the west, the region is mostly rural flatland, with the bulk of Miranda's tenable land located on its western edge. Mount Macgregor marks the eastern border of Miranda, where it meets with De Midian. Rugged and trafckless, the mountains are surrounded by sprawling badlands that stretch for several miles to the east. Further north, closer to the Raxian border, is the White Forest, a sizable petrified forest. The center of Miranda, is extremely heavily forested, with no less than three large forests within a mile of the capital. Constant patrols by the Mirandian Military keep these clear of monster populations, though encounters do happen. Further east is the Deepwood - a forest so ancient and dense that sunlight reaches the forest floor only in isolated spots. Northeastern Miranda is home to a particularly dismal location known as Quono's Swamp. The marshlands are known to be a haunted location, with monsters encountered there often. Miranda is etched with a web of prominent watersways, most flowing into the mighty Maykess River as it flows northward. Numerous freshwater and saline lakes dot the landscape as well, with several on the smaller mountain range in Miranda's northwest, Mount Hobbes. Miranda's villages and cities show dazzling variety in their architecture; each settlement is usually graced with a unique style that compliments its surroundings. The capital itself is built right on both sides of the Maykess, making it an essential trade route. The climate in Miranda is temperate but tends towards extremes, with harsh winters, hot summers, and brief but generally pleasant autumns and springs. Major Settlements: '''Miranda City, Westhaven, Rygard, Hom, Victoria '''The Folk: Population: Estmated to be about 22.8 Million. Humans 61%, Planetouched 9%, Other 20%. Primary Exports: 'Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Hops, Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage, Grapes, Hogs, Sheep, Cattle, Goats, Chickens, Dairy, Herring, Cod, Flounder, Sausage, Beer, Timber, Peat, Salt, Ceramics, Perfume, Cloth, Ships, Arcane Knowledge, Magical Artifacts. '''Coinage: '''Corona (PP), Solar (GP), Blaze (SP), Flare (CP). '''Characters: 'Queen Brooke Canciaris, Princess Ivianna Canciaris, Marcel Gilneas, Sarina Giltia, Illyra Canciaris, James Canciaris, Farnsworth '''The Law: Hereditary Monarchy w/elected Parliament. The Mirandian Royal Family, currently led by Queen Brooke Canciaris, has ruled Miranda for generations, and supposedly can trace its roots back to the initial founding of Miranda, nearly 2000 years ago. In general, the Mirandian Royal Family has been marked for its skilled and even-handed leadership - and the fact that the family is tinged with tragedy. Initially, Miranda was simply a Monarchy, but this changed with the rise (and subsuquent fall) of Queen Veronica, a merciless tyrant who expanded Miranda's borders to nearly triple what they had been previously.In response to this, a parliamentary elected council was implemented in order to place a civilian check on the Monarchy's power, though the system itself has been abused in at least two administrations. The current ruler of Miranda, the well-known Sorceress Queen Brooke Canciaris, rules Miranda in a harsh-but-fair manner, and is completely dedicated to her country and its people. Whilst Brooke rarely gets involved directly with the day-to-day affairs of the country, her presence and influence are widely felt - when the Queen herself needs to get involved with something, it is usually something of critical import - the Queen is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant and ruthless people in Miranda, and few would argue that the country's fate could be in more capable hands. Indeed, whilst Brooke herself is undeniably conniving and can come across as conceited, she has a strong patriotic streak and believes strongly in a vision of Miranda as a powerful nation with its own identity. She encourages outsiders to settle in her domain, asking only that they swear fealty to Miranda itself. '''History: '''Miranda is a country with a convoluted history. Settled originally nearly 2000 years ago, it had a very rocky start, and the country changed management upwards of half-a-dozen times in the course of the first century before the lineage of Queen Brooke Canciaris came to prominence. Between their powerful magical abilities and their strong duties towards the country itself, the country slowly grew in power and size, reaching roughly the size that De Midian is now after about 3 centuries. Despite occasional insurrections and uprisings against the Mirandian Royal Family in the past, and two wars fought in its past - the Succession War and the Sorceress War - Miranda's royal family has tenaciously held onto the reins of power, and on numerous occasions has shown that they have the political savviness and will to make the best use of it. Miranda grew truly enormous during the Succession War, when Queen Augustine took up the crown and began to expand the country in a bloody war of conquest. Exploiting her army's magical abilities and her own formidable powers ruthlessly, there was little that could stand before their might. Ironically, it was a civilian uprising led by Queen Augustine's own sister, Veronica, that ultimately put an end to the war. No one force in the history of Fontraile has, before or since, held that much of the continent in its grasp. Following the war, Miranda became much more peaceful and actively attempted to make amends with its neighbors, resulting in it slowly shrinking back to the size it currently is now. Miranda's capital was razed to the ground during the Ekris War in an event that would become known as the Miranda Disaster. In it, a Valendian commander who was currently in charge of the occupied Miranda ordered it burned to the ground - an incident which cost the lives of over a hundred thousand civilians and left the country's capital in ruins. Only a handful of survivors made it out of the burning capital, among them Queen Brooke, who was purported to harbor a serious grudge. '''Military: '''Miranda possesses a formidable military, one that has managed to become much more so due to the country's rebuilding. It is notable for its excessively large number of individuals capable of using magic - many rank-and-file soldiers possess at least rudimentary magic skills, whilst Task Mages are specialized, trained spellcasters designed to provide support, unleashing powerful spells of protection and destruction that can keep a squad in the fight or devastate an entire enemy formation. As a whole, the Mirandian Military is centered around mobile warfare and makes extensive use of mechanized infantry; many of their vehicles are amphibious and the Mirandians rely on this to rapidly overrun enemy lines before their infantry disembark to finish the enemy off. Once in place, Mirandian troops are trained to dig in - they are especially effective at taking over enemy facilities after an initial blitzkrieg. Enemies under sustained assault from the Mirandian Military frequently find themselves completely overwhelmed in short order; their units can often come from completely unexpected angles, with amphibious vehicles crossing bodies of water, transports air-dropping squads into the combat zone, and perhaps most notoriously, the Mirandian mages directly teleporting strike teams right into the heart of the battle. All of this is backed up by reliable armored vehicles and extensive use of artillery. Miranda's Navy is somewhat on the weak side, primarily designed for patrol, artillery support, and fast-attack duties, though this is primarily because Miranda itself is largely land-locked save for the network of Rivers and lakes criss-crossing it.